1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a color electrophotographic image forming apparatus, in which a plurality of cartridges are detachably mounted to an apparatus main body to form an image on a recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Here, the color electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms a color image on a recording medium by using an electrophotographic image forming process. Then, examples of the color electrophotographic image forming apparatus include, for example, a color electrophotographic copying machine, a color electrophotographic printer (for example, such as a color laser beam printer and a color LED printer), a color facsimile machine, and a color word processor.
Besides, the recording medium is one on which an image is to be formed by the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and paper, an OHP sheet, and the like are included therein, for instance.
Further, a cartridge is, for example, a process cartridge or a developing cartridge, and contributes, in a state being detachably mounted to a main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, to an image forming process for forming the image on the recording medium. Here, in the above-mentioned process cartridge, at least one of a charging means, a developing means, and a cleaning means each serving as a process means and an electrophotographic photosensitive drum are integrated into a cartridge, which is detachably mountable to the main body. Therefore, a process cartridge into which the developing means serving as the process means and the electrophotographic photosensitive drum are integrated, may be detachably mountable to the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. In addition, a process cartridge into which the charging means, the developing means, or the cleaning means each serving as the process means and the electrophotographic photosensitive drum are integrated, may be detachably mountable to the main body. Note that, the process cartridge, which integrally includes the electrophotographic photosensitive drum and the developing means, is referred to as a so-called integral type. Further, the process cartridge, which integrally includes the electrophotographic photosensitive drum and the process means other than the developing means, is referred to as a so-called separation type. That is, the developing means is provided in a developing unit, which is separated from the process cartridge, and the image formation is performed through a pair of the developing unit and the process cartridge. The process cartridge is referred to as the so-called separation type.
In this case, the process cartridge can detachably mounted to the main body by a user in person. Accordingly, the user can easily perform maintenance of the apparatus main body. Note that, the process means acts on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum.
Further, the developing cartridge includes a developing roller, contains a developer (toner) used to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum by the developing roller, and is detachably mountable to the main body. In a case of the developing cartridge, the electrophotographic photosensitive drum is mounted to the apparatus main body or a cartridge supporting member described below. Alternatively, the electrophotographic photosensitive drum is provided in the so-called separation type process cartridge (in this case, the process cartridge has no developing means). Note that, the developing cartridge is also detachably mountable to the main body by the user in person. For that reason, the maintenance of the apparatus main body may easily be performed.
Then, as the cartridge, the so-called integral type or the so-called separation type process cartridge may be used. Further, as the cartridge, the so-called separation type process cartridge and the developing cartridge may be used as a pair. Further, there may include a case in which, as the cartridge, the electrophotographic photosensitive drum is fixed and mounted to the apparatus main body or the cartridge supporting member described below, and the developing cartridge is detachably used so as to be capable of acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum. Still further, the above-mentioned cartridge includes a developer cartridge containing a developer (toner) to be supplied to the process cartridge or the developing cartridge.
As described above, hitherto, there is known the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, which forms a color image on the recording medium using the electrophotographic image forming process. In the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, there is known the above-mentioned process cartridge system. Alternatively, there is known a developing cartridge system, which is constructed only by the above-mentioned developing unit as a separate member from the photosensitive drum. There is also known the above-mentioned developer cartridge system containing the developer. The above-mentioned process cartridge system, developing cartridge system, and developer cartridge system are all inclusively referred to as the cartridge systems.
Note that, the above-mentioned process cartridge and developing cartridge each includes a developer containing portion for containing the developer (toner) used to develop the electrostatic latent image.
On the other hand, in order to facilitate a replacement of the cartridge by the user, there is provided a pullout drawer (cartridge supporting member) for supporting a plurality of cartridges. Then, the pullout drawer is pulled out from an inside of the main body to a predetermined position, thereby allowing the replacement of each of the cartridges. This structure is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0160388.